1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to navigation aids and surveillance systems and more particularly pertains to a new system and method of monitoring cargo container mobility and efficiency for facilitating post-transit analysis of cargo shipments.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of navigation aids and surveillance systems for traffic system is known in the prior art. These systems are focused towards providing pre-transit route planning and real time navigation assistance.
While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not disclose a new system and method of monitoring cargo container mobility and efficiency. The inventive device includes a mobile location data module which is couplable to a cargo container and is used for determining and recording position and time data on an interval basis as well as recording supplemental information, a data processing means for processing the position and time data into efficiency track information for post-transit analysis, and a data presentation means for presenting the efficiency track information to a user for facilitating post-transit analysis.
In these respects, the system and method of monitoring cargo container mobility and efficiency according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of facilitating post-transit analysis of cargo shipments.
Changes in the modern business environment continue to place greater stresses on the transportation of goods. Shipping departments have become sophisticated logistic management centers for supporting virtual warehousing and just in time systems. Tools for pre-planning transit routes as well as real time navigation aides are well known in the prior art.
Part of any successful management system is the use of measured data to validate performance against the predetermined plan. This measured data feedback is a valuable part of any cargo transit system whether rail, tractor-trailer, delivery truck, ship, or inter-modal systems are used, however its greatest value may be realized in the tractor-trailer context where as large amount of autonomy is given to individual drivers. Unscheduled stops can result in increased fuel consumption, loss of goods being transported, or increased probabilities of accidents by a driver completing a leg of a preplanned route at a later hour than scheduled. Real time monitoring of the drivers performance can be cost prohibitive and provides no substantially benefits to post transit analysis.
The mobile location data module of the system for monitoring cargo container mobility and efficiency can be coupled to a tractor, trailer, shipping container, rail car, delivery truck, or any other container used in conjunction with the transportation of goods. Monitoring the post-transit data can provide a means of identifying specific drivers who are increasing overall costs and risk of loss, as well as those drivers who responsibly stay within the boundaries of the preplanned route and schedule.
The data collected can also be used to determine average velocity vectors to evaluate the true duration of specific legs of a preplanned route and validate the legs against the predetermined plan.
In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of navigation aids and surveillance systems now present in the prior art, the present invention provides a new system and method of monitoring cargo container mobility and efficiency construction wherein the same can be utilized for facilitating post-transit analysis of cargo shipments.
The general purpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a new system and method of monitoring cargo container mobility and efficiency apparatus and method which has many novel features that result in a new system and method which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by any of the prior art navigation aids and surveillance systems, either alone or in any combination thereof.
To attain this, the present invention generally comprises a mobile location data module which is couplable to a cargo container and is used for determining and recording position and time data on an interval basis, a data processing means for processing the position and time data into efficiency track information for post-transit analysis, and a data presentation means for presenting the efficiency track information to a user for facilitating post-transit analysis.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
Further, the purpose of the foregoing abstract is to enable the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally, and especially the scientists, engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiar with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of the application. The abstract is neither intended to define the invention of the application, which is measured by the claims, nor is it intended to be limiting as to the scope of the invention in any way.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new system and method of monitoring cargo container mobility and efficiency apparatus and method which has many of the advantages of the navigation aids and surveillance systems mentioned heretofore and many novel features that result in a new system and method of monitoring cargo container mobility and efficiency which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by any of the prior art navigation aids and surveillance systems, either alone or in any combination thereof.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a new system and method of monitoring cargo container mobility and efficiency for facilitating post-transit analysis of cargo shipments.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new system and method of monitoring cargo container mobility and efficiency which includes a mobile location data module which is couplable to a cargo container and is used for determining and recording position and time data on an interval basis, a data processing means for processing the position and time data into efficiency track information for post-transit analysis, and a data presentation means for presenting the efficiency track information to a user for facilitating post-transit analysis.